Did I mention that I'm the proud partial owner of a 1977 Titan motorhome?
Oooooh yeeeaaaah!
We drove it off the guys lot where it'd been sitting unused for six years, on Wednesday.
We had big plans to drive it out to the dry lake bed of El Mirage Friday...to set up camp and watch the drags all weekend long.
HOWEVER...as you can see, it's Saturday, and I'm sitting comfortably in front of my laptop...which must mean, if you haven't deduced this already...THAT didn't happen.
We'd been told there were a couple of things wrong with the vehicle...as there always is...a 'small leak' in the radiator, they said.
Pfffft...riiiiiiiiight...That bitch blew to high heaven halfway home from the lot. Bubbling and steaming in that angry way they do when they get that hot. Luckily, I was following behind in my trusty magical flat black minivan...so we ran home for a few billion gallons of water.
Coming down that long stretch of empty road I saw her on the horizon...and all I could think was, "Thar she blows!!!!" Laughter all around...at times like this, you've just GOT to laugh.
Filled her all back up with water again and limped her home.
We set up our outdoor lights (because darkness had fallen by this time) and went to work to figure out what the hell was going on. Turns out, that small leak is really a completely toasted radiator.
Early Thursday, with hope in our hearts...I went to work hauling all the shit out of the inside while Moldy went to work trying to remove the offending radiator. We figured it would be easy enough...since everyone says, "Oh yeah, no problem, the radiator just drops out from the bottom of the engine compartment.
Yeeeeaaah, riiiiiight...not with L shaped brackets on either side which renders THAT logistically impossible.
I abandoned the interior to help try to get this bitch out...our next plan was pulling it out the top through that bitty thing they call a 'hood.' No dice...
FINALLY...tired of playing nice...we drilled out all the rivits on the front body panels and just pulled that whole front section off...which made access a little easier...but didn't help with the bracket problem.
Eventually, you're truly rubbed her two braincells together...did some geomentric equasions in her head, and figured a way to pull it out the front...yes, we needed a hammer, but yes...it worked.
Exhausted and filthy, we threw it in the van and rushed to a radiator shop...hoping they'd have a replacement. Which they didn't. BUT, he could fix it...and have it to us early Friday morning.
We returned home for me to finish the interior...and for him to continue figuring out all the OTHER mysteries that are part of owning a motorhome with no instruction manual.
Friday morning...still with hope in our hearts...we ran some errands and headed back to the radiator shop...only to be told the radiator was beyond repair.
Still determined to get this bitch on the road for the drags this weekend, we hauled ass to a junk yard where we rifled through what seemed like a hundred RV engine compartments to find a replacement radiator.
Which we DID, finally...but was told they wouldn't have it out for us until early the next morning...and no, they wouldn't let us pull it ourselves...
Well...it's Saturday...creeping in on noon...the radiator has been pulled...it's been brought to the radiator shop for minor repairs...and I just heard the front door which means Moldy AND the radiator are both home now...
I'm already in my work clothes...so off I go...trying to reinstall this mother fucker...
We WILL get on the road today...oh yes...we WILL...one way or another...yessssssssssssss
Oooooh yeeeaaaah!
We drove it off the guys lot where it'd been sitting unused for six years, on Wednesday.
We had big plans to drive it out to the dry lake bed of El Mirage Friday...to set up camp and watch the drags all weekend long.
HOWEVER...as you can see, it's Saturday, and I'm sitting comfortably in front of my laptop...which must mean, if you haven't deduced this already...THAT didn't happen.
We'd been told there were a couple of things wrong with the vehicle...as there always is...a 'small leak' in the radiator, they said.
Pfffft...riiiiiiiiight...That bitch blew to high heaven halfway home from the lot. Bubbling and steaming in that angry way they do when they get that hot. Luckily, I was following behind in my trusty magical flat black minivan...so we ran home for a few billion gallons of water.
Coming down that long stretch of empty road I saw her on the horizon...and all I could think was, "Thar she blows!!!!" Laughter all around...at times like this, you've just GOT to laugh.
Filled her all back up with water again and limped her home.
We set up our outdoor lights (because darkness had fallen by this time) and went to work to figure out what the hell was going on. Turns out, that small leak is really a completely toasted radiator.
Early Thursday, with hope in our hearts...I went to work hauling all the shit out of the inside while Moldy went to work trying to remove the offending radiator. We figured it would be easy enough...since everyone says, "Oh yeah, no problem, the radiator just drops out from the bottom of the engine compartment.
Yeeeeaaah, riiiiiight...not with L shaped brackets on either side which renders THAT logistically impossible.
I abandoned the interior to help try to get this bitch out...our next plan was pulling it out the top through that bitty thing they call a 'hood.' No dice...
FINALLY...tired of playing nice...we drilled out all the rivits on the front body panels and just pulled that whole front section off...which made access a little easier...but didn't help with the bracket problem.
Eventually, you're truly rubbed her two braincells together...did some geomentric equasions in her head, and figured a way to pull it out the front...yes, we needed a hammer, but yes...it worked.
Exhausted and filthy, we threw it in the van and rushed to a radiator shop...hoping they'd have a replacement. Which they didn't. BUT, he could fix it...and have it to us early Friday morning.
We returned home for me to finish the interior...and for him to continue figuring out all the OTHER mysteries that are part of owning a motorhome with no instruction manual.
Friday morning...still with hope in our hearts...we ran some errands and headed back to the radiator shop...only to be told the radiator was beyond repair.
Still determined to get this bitch on the road for the drags this weekend, we hauled ass to a junk yard where we rifled through what seemed like a hundred RV engine compartments to find a replacement radiator.
Which we DID, finally...but was told they wouldn't have it out for us until early the next morning...and no, they wouldn't let us pull it ourselves...
Well...it's Saturday...creeping in on noon...the radiator has been pulled...it's been brought to the radiator shop for minor repairs...and I just heard the front door which means Moldy AND the radiator are both home now...
I'm already in my work clothes...so off I go...trying to reinstall this mother fucker...
We WILL get on the road today...oh yes...we WILL...one way or another...yessssssssssssss
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
r0nin:
Me.. A saint... 
Now that's a good one!
Now that's a good one!
r0nin:
BTW.. How did it go with the motorhome?